


A Sage Uchiha

by athletickiller



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Childhood Trauma, Curse Mark (Naruto), Fix-It, Heavy Angst, Original Jutsus, Other, POV Third Person, POV Uchiha Sasuke, Psychological Trauma, Sage Mode (Naruto), Uchiha Sasuke-centric, What if Sasuke learned Sage Mode instead of going to Orochimaru?, canon compliant but also not canon compliant, half-good half-bad Sasuke, what shippuden should have been
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:55:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26286019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athletickiller/pseuds/athletickiller
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha has decided not to join Orochimaru in his quest for power and revenge against Itachi. Instead, he will travel to Mount Ashitaka to learn the ways of Sage Mode from the hawks there, hoping to become even more powerful than Itachi and the Snake Sannin himself. However, this journey will not be without pain and great difficulties that even Sasuke Uchiha himself will struggle to surmount.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 35
Kudos: 126





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first attempt at a Naruto fanfiction, even though I've been writing about Naruto for a long time. Obviously I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. Enjoy, and don't forget to leave reviews (criticism welcome!), and kudos!

Sasuke Uchiha never cried. It was something he had prided himself on for a long time, ever since… well, Sasuke tried not to think about that night very much. But this was an exception to his self-imposed rule. Alone in his spotlessly organized room— the last vestige of the Uchiha clan compound — Sasuke broke down and wept, but not until he had screamed his raw throated rage to the uncaring ceiling far above. 

  
Could it really be possible? Could it? That Naruto — Naruto of all people — had surpassed Sasuke? The idiotic bumbling fool of a ninja had beaten Sasuke with a jutsu learned from a pervy old man? It was almost too much for Sasuke to believe, except for one thing. The evidence behind the water towers didn’t lie. The “Rasengan”, or whatever _usuratonkachi_ had called it, had absolutely devastated the tower, the damage dwarfing the almost surgical hole inflicted by the Chidori. There was no way Sasuke could ever defeat his brother (he was loath to use that name, even while thinking privately), if he couldn’t even defeat Naruto. 

  
The impossibility of his goal, his revenge, his life’s work crashed down on him and overcame him, just as it had done just days earlier when he had faced Itachi in that hotel. His throat ached involuntarily, as if Itachi was still gripping it, and his mind burned with the memory of Itachi’s sharingan gilded eyes boring into his, entrapping him in a horrifying and impermeable genjutsu. Sasuke’s stomach rebelled at the images that welled up in his memory, indelibly engraved into his consciousness, and he howled his rage, impotence, and grief with all the breath remaining in his lungs. When he could scream no longer, he curled into a ball, gasping for air, sweat slicking his limbs. 

  
He squeezed his eyes shut, seeking an escape, a reprieve from the aftereffects of Itachi’s powerful genjutsu. It was no use. Instead of the images of his parents being slaughtered by Itachi’s sword, his mind instead chose to replay the most recent memories Sasuke had of Itachi. Itachi, sneering down at him as he effortlessly redirected the chidori, Itachi’s foot slamming mercilessly into Sasuke’s stomach and sending him flying down the hall, Itachi gripping Sasuke’s throat with his clammy hand and drawing him close to whisper in his ear, close enough that Sasuke had been able to smell Itachi’s breath. Sasuke’s stomach turned at the memory. Itachi’s breath had carried a hint of medicinal aromas, but more than anything else, his breath had reeked with the metallic scent of blood. 

  
Kakashi’s words echoed dully in his ears, only barely getting through Sasuke’s pounding tempest of thoughts. _In the end, those who tasted revenge were not satisfied… It ended in tragedy. You’ll only hurt and suffer more… Even if you are successful in your revenge, all you’ll be left with is emptiness._

  
_At least emptiness would be better than this pain,_ Sasuke thought bitterly. _Anything would be better than this. And even if killing Itachi made me empty, at least I’ve avenged Kaasan and Tōsan. At least I’ve avenged my clan. What I feel? That doesn’t goddamn matter._

  
A bolt of agony blazed through Sasuke’s shoulder, radiating out from the Curse Mark that Orochimaru had placed there. He felt the searing pain of the release of power, and he fought to keep it contained. He was losing control, and he did not want the power to overcome him. He’d be liable to destroy this entire building if he let the power of the Curse Mark loose. He had to get out of here, needed to get some air. Clutching at his burning shoulder, Sasuke stumbled out from his room, slamming the door behind him and hurried down the stairs of his building and out into the deadened Konoha street. Little did he know that four Otogakure shinobi, selected personally by Orochimaru himself, were watching attentively as Sasuke leaped up into the middle branch of a large tree and slumped against the trunk in a mire of confused emotions.

The sound of leaves shifting above him jerked Sasuke back into reality. His eyes shot skyward, and he saw four figures silhouetted by the huge full moon held aloft in the sky. Before he could react, four ninja had landed in the trees around him, surrounding him. 

  
“Who the hell are you?” Sasuke snapped, his hand straying to the kunai strapped to his upper thigh. His eyes flickered to each of them. They all had strange purple rope belts encircled around their waists, and one wore the headband of Otogakure. None of them made any move to respond to Sasuke’s words, instead they leaped away from their branches, disappearing completely. The only indication of the coming attack was the sound of a fist whistling through the air. Sasuke recoiled instantly, arms upthrown in guard, blocked the punch and leaped smoothly into the air and behind the two headed shinobi and planted a powerful kick into the throat of the second head. Even as he had just completed the kick, he sensed another blow coming from his rear. Sasuke pivoted effortlessly, and ducked under the blow before wrapping an arm under the fat Sound shinobi’s armpit, and hip tossing him over his shoulder and sending him flying into the nearby tree. But before the ninja could hit the tree, his body disappeared in a cloud of smoke, revealing a pair of logs instead. 

  
_Damn! It was a substitution!_ Fury raced through Sasuke, as he wheeled around to face his attackers, who stood on the nearby sidewalk, sneers fixed upon each of their features. 

  
“You caught me at a bad time.” Sasuke hissed, his voice low and controlled. “If you want more, I won’t hold back.” 

  
“Heh. Stop yapping like a wimpy dog.” the two headed shinobi sneered, beckoning Sasuke on fearlessly. “Come on. I’ll make a nice melody from your broken ribs.” 

Sasuke’s hand slipped behind his back and pulled a length of piano wire from his pouch affixed on the back of his belt. He’d take a page out of Kakashi-sensei’s book and catch this arrogant bastard in a web of steel wire. Unsurprisingly, the shinobi evaded Sasuke’s sloppy first attack, but that wasn’t the point of it. Sasuke tossed the wire around the Oto-nin’s ankles and yanked it tight before aiming a powerful jumping kick towards the head. Sasuke closed his eyes as he felt the kick arcing to its target….

An iron strong hand locked around Sasuke’s ankle, stopping the kick in an instant. Sasuke’s eyes flew open in surprise and aimed a blow at the shinobi’s ribs, but instead found himself flying backwards and crashing into the trunk of the tree, driving the air out of his lungs.

  
“Wow. Your bones have a low tone. Let’s make a more higher pitch sound, eh?” the mocking words of the two-headed Oto shinobi burned in Sasuke’s ear like a flame sprouted from the infernos of hell itself. 

  
_Dammit! Where did that attack come from?_ Sasuke’s mind was racing. He hadn’t even seen what had hit him, let alone seen it coming. Sasuke’s battle senses twitched and he jumped away from the blow he knew was coming. He twisted in midair to face his attacker, and found himself looking into the eyes of one of the other Oto-nin. This one made no attempt to pursue him, instead puffing up his cheeks and spitting a long strain of something… 

  
_Shit_! Sasuke raised his arms instinctively to block the substance, and jerked with horror when he realized it was wet, warm, and very sticky. The webbing attached itself to Sasuke’s skin and suddenly he felt himself being hurled through the air at the end of the web-rope. His mind whirled with the sudden change of events. He saw the huge Sound shinobi winding up a huge punch, and he only had a second to brace himself before the blow slammed into his lower back. All the air in his lungs exploded out through his nose and mouth, and he let out a cry of pain as he flew through the air back towards the two-headed bastard. He felt the webbing loosen from his hands, and an idea flared through his mind. If normal taijutsu wouldn’t work against these freaks, he would use one of Bushy Brows prized moves against them— the Shishirendan, or Lion Combo. He righted himself in the air and visualized the move, sketching it out in his mind in a split second before beginning the set up. He couldn’t yet do it as well as Bushy Brow, but the copy ability lent to him by the Sharingan allowed him to bypass the amount of training usually required to pull off a high level taijutsu move like that.

  
As he fell, his hand shot out and gripped the ledge of the roof, and he propelled himself upward with a kick aimed directly at the shinobi’s chin. At the last second, he altered the direction of the kick and swept the legs out from under his opponent and hurling him over the edge. Sasuke spun in a tight circle as he fell, and used his hips to put all of his weight and power behind the move. The impact of their bodies against the tiled surface of the roof blasted through the frail surface in an explosion of wood and ceramics. 

And yet, moments later, Sasuke found himself hanging upside down, his leg in the painfully tight grip of the two headed Oto-nin, who was laughing cruelly. “Why would Orochimaru-sama want some weak-ass like him? Kimimaro had much more potential than this one.” 

  
Sasuke’s mind spun with confusion and horror. _Wha… Why? I landed every blow of my attack, yet this guy seems to be unhurt…_

  
Meanwhile, the two-headed bastard was still talking. “If you stay in the shitty village here, you’ll always be weak like everyone else. You’ll never become powerful. Believe me when I say that playing family games with your comrades will only make you rot.” 

  
“Come with us!” the girl said, her eyes flaring from behind the sharp bangs that framed her pale face. “If you do, Orochimaru-sama will give you strength!”

  
_Strength_? Sasuke’s mind was racing. _I need strength. At this point, I can’t even defeat Naruto...But Orochimaru.. There’s something wrong with that guy, I sure as hell don’t trust him._

  
The two headed Oto-nin threw Sasuke against the wall with impunity, and gazed down at him with open contempt. “What are you going to do?” His buddies flanked him, hemming in any route that Sasuke could use to escape. “Quit messing around, and make up your mind. Are you coming with us or not?” 

  
A burning sensation began to pour out from Sasuke’s shoulder, it felt as if the curse mark had been branded onto him once more. His breaths were coming hard and fast as he bent over, hand clamped over the Curse Mark. It was hot to the touch. 

  
“Though, it seems there’s no point in forcing you to come with us. Orochimaru can be such a pain. I just want to kill a brat this hesitant and weak.” The two-headed bastard smirked. 

  
It was too much for Sasuke. Power exploded through his veins and he felt the now familiar sensation of the Curse Mark creeping across his flesh. His Sharingan leapt to life with a crackle. “Give it a try then!” he roared, and launched himself at the two-headed bastard. It was to no avail. Sasuke found himself slumped on the ground once again. 

  
_I don’t understand! The Curse Mark should have let me overpower him_ …! Sasuke managed to look up, and shock flooded him with the sight that greeted him. The two headed bastard stood in front of him, half of his body obscured by a black pattern of a Curse Seal. 

  
“You’re not the only one that Orochimaru-sama has his sights set on.” the Oto-nin said. “The Cursed Seal isn’t something you use so carelessly. Well actually,” the Oto-nin smiled coldly, “It looks like you can’t even control it, but if you keep ‘releasing’ it like that though, the Cursed Seal will slowly invade your body. By the looks of it, you’re still in the first stage of things, so it’s spreading fairly slowly. However, when it’s completely taken over your body, you will lose all free will forever.” 

  
“Instead of the Cursed Seal giving you power, it merely transforms you into Orochimaru-sama’s slave. For us, we have already lost that freedom. To gain something, you must be willing to sacrifice something else.” This time, it was the female Oto-nin who spoke, her words more mild than the two-headed bastard’s. However, Sasuke could palpably feel the truth in the words, and they chilled him to the core. She was speaking of the Law of Equivalent Exchange, an ancient shinobi law that he had not heard mentioned since a lecture from his father, long ago. 

  
“What is your purpose in life? Will you just forget that, and continue to live in this simple village, where you and your loser friends can gather to cry on each other’s shoulders. What about Itachi Uchiha?”

  
“Don’t speak of him. You know nothing about the Uchiha.” Sasuke snarled. 

  
The two-headed bastard ignored him. “Don’t forget your purpose. This village will only become the shackles that bind you. It’s best to just cut those worthless connections. In doing so, you’ll be able to obtain a much greater power.” Without another word, the Sound Ninja jumped to the branches of the tree, and were swallowed by the darkness of the night, leaving Sasuke behind, seething. 

_Don’t forget my purpose? What the hell do those bastards know? I will never forget my purpose! I see him every night murdering Kaasan and Tosan! Those arrogant creeps! What the hell do they know about being an avenger? What the hell does Orochimaru know about what I’ve been through!_ Sasuke slammed a fist into the wall, uncaring of the pain that shot up through his arm. _I’m not strong enough. No, I’m just weak, and I’ve always been weak. It’s why I couldn’t do anything to Itachi when he killed everyone. It’s why I couldn’t even scratch him after training so hard and so long. Because I’m weak, so weak that I couldn't even prevent Orochimaru from putting this damned thing on me. I won’t be his goddamned slave, and I won’t go with those Otogakure creeps._  


Sasuke inhaled a deep breath, trying to regain control over his roiling emotions. _I have to do this alone. I’m an avenger. I will avenge the Uchiha Clan by my hand, and my hand only._ A jolt of pain emanating from his Curse Mark jerked him back to reality. His hand went instinctively to his shoulder. _But first, I need to understand what this thing is, and how I can remove it._ Sasuke’s mind flickered back to the events of the Chunin exams, and how Kakashi had conducted the elaborate sealing ritual to hem in the power of the Curse Mark. _Kakashi might know something._

Sasuke got to his feet and jumped from the roof, and began walking. He knew the way to Kakashi’s apartment, and after his confrontation with him earlier, he was quite sure that his sensei would still be awake. 

Ten minutes later, Sasuke climbed the stairs to Kakashi’s apartment and rapped on the door. There was a long moment of silence before a telltale creak told Sasuke that Kakashi was indeed home.

The door swung backward, and out stepped Kakashi, wearing a simple gray shirt with the sleeves cut off, and his jonin pants, though the bandages around his calves had been removed.   
“Sasuke,” Kakashi said by way of greeting. “What are you doing here at this time of night?” 

  
“I have questions,” Sasuke said, and pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal the Curse Mark. The skin around it was reddened and inflamed from its recent usage, but Sasuke didn’t care. He needed answers, and quickly. 

  
“The Curse Mark?” Kakashi’s visible eye narrowed. “What about it?” 

  
“Do you have any idea of what it might be?” Sasuke asked. “Where it draws its power from?” 

  
Kakashi leaned against the door frame of his flat, a guarded look glinting in his eye. “Maa, it’s something I’m not an expert in, and it's quite complicated. Why don’t you come in and we can talk.”   
Sasuke wordlessly followed his jōnin sensei into the apartment. He was struck at the similarity of Kakashi’s organization methods to his own. A faint smell of fried fish lingered in the small, darkened kitchen, and Kakashi swung open the door to his room and promptly sat down at his desk, leaning back in his chair with a studiously pensive expression. 

  
“How should I explain this,” Kakashi mused for a moment before speaking again. “The Curse Mark that Orochimaru placed on you essentially allows you to

tap into nature energy to boost your physical capabilities, ninjutsu, and dojutsu. It’s a way of bypassing more traditional methods of collecting nature energy.” 

  
“Nature energy?” Sasuke’s mind twitched at that. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

  
“Right.” Kakashi said. “Nature energy is the energy in the atmosphere and earth surrounding us all. When one uses ninjutsu or genjutsu, they most often draw from their physical and spiritual energy, or chakra, as you already know. But if one can also draw on nature energy, they can enter an enhanced state where all their physical, sensory, and chakra abilities are greatly heightened. This is called sage mode, and attaining it is one of the most difficult and time consuming tasks any shinobi can attempt. Jutsu used while in sage mode is called senjutsu, and these are some of the rarest techniques in all of the shinobi world.” 

  
“So this curse mark is funneling nature energy into me?” Sasuke asked. 

  
“Yes.” Kakashi said. “However, I don’t have a deep enough understanding of natural energy to know how exactly Orochimaru could do this. He’s a master of natural energy and I think he can use sage mode too.” 

  
Sasuke nodded, his mind sifting through the information. “One more thing. If this is so obscure, how do you know so much about it?” 

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “I became a chunin at age six. You think I don’t know things?” 

  
Sasuke flushed in anger, but Kakashi raised a placating hand. “I’m joking. My sensei—” he gestured to a photo pinned to his wall — “was a master of sage mode, which is the ultimate method of harnessing nature energy.” 

  
“Is that…” Sasuke's mouth dried out instantly. “Lord Fourth?” 

  
Kakashi smiled under his mask, but even Sasuke could see the sorrow in his uncovered eye. “Yes, that’s Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash himself.” 

  
“He looks a lot like Naruto.” Sasuke said offhandedly. The spiky blonde hair and electric blue eyes were eerily similar to his loud-mouthed teammate. However, Sasuke could see the sharp intellect and forewarning of danger in those eyes, even through the thin glossy paper of the photograph. That wasn’t like Naruto at all, Sasuke decided. 

  
“Sure does.” Kakashi said. 

“And your teammates?” 

“Dead, both of them killed in action.” Kakashi said, his voice devoid of emotion. “The knucklehead is Obito Uchiha. Ever heard of him?” 

Sasuke shook his head. The name didn’t ring a bell. 

  
“Best man I ever knew.” Kakashi said. “But enough of that.” He seized a scrap of paper from under a neat pile of books and scrawled a series of characters on it. “Go to the library and ask for these books. If they try to tell you that you’re not cleared to read those, tell them that I sent you.” He slid the paper over to Sasuke, who pocketed it. 

  
“Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to sleep.” Kakashi escorted Sasuke out through his apartment and out the door without another word. Sasuke didn’t look back as he headed to the library. He had no time to waste. Who knew when those Oto-nin creeps would show up again. Or, God forbid, Naruto. 

  
It took Sasuke roughly ten minutes to get to the shinobi library, and he didn’t deactivate his sharingan once through the whole journey, uncaring of the small toll it took on his chakra. Whether Sasuke wanted to admit it or not, the appearance of those Oto-nin had put him on edge. 

  
Pulling open the door of the library, Sasuke bypassed the night clerk with a quick flash of his Ninja ID and climbed the stairs to the archival ninjutsu and chakra section. It was only until the librarian on duty eyeballed him particularly hard that Sasuke realized his Sharingan was still activated. He released it with a swoosh and passed the note Kakashi had given him to the librarian.   
“I’m looking for these books, could you show me where they are?” 

  
The librarian, an odd looking fellow who was broad and muscular, but had a pair of decidedly nerdy glasses balanced on his nose looked up with a question on his face. “You’re the first Uchiha to come through here looking for Nature energy information. The last person, come to think of it, was probably Lord Fourth, or Kakashi of the Sharingan.” 

  
“Can I get the books or not?” Sasuke asked, irritated. 

  
“Sure, let me grab them for you.” The librarian disappeared into a backroom, leaving Sasuke alone in the eerily empty studying lobby of the third floor library. Five minutes later, the librarian reappeared, carrying a stack of books about four high. He set it on the counter and proffered a sheaf of paper to Sasuke. 

  
“Sign here please.” he said, and Sasuke did with a few quick swipes of the provided pen. Once he was finished, he seized the books and carried them to a private corner of the library, away from any prying eyes. 

  
Flipping open the first book in the pile, Sasuke scanned the table of contents, selected the chapter entitled ‘Sage Mode’, and began to read. 

  
The first traces of early dawn light were leaking through the library windows when Sasuke finally tore his eyes away from the books. He had read every word of each of the tomes had on sage mode and nature energy, and had accumulated a pile of notes which rested beside him. Just as he was about to close the book for good, an inset textbook caught his eyes. He squinted at it, eyes aching with fatigue and read: ‘Some clans have maintained a long-standing relationship with certain animal summons, including the Sarutobi’s monkeys, the Hatake’s tracking ninken, and the Uchiha’s hawks. These animals all have been known to have an animal sage that can teach sage mode to humans, but there have been no known practitioners of this type of sage mode in recent memory, as opposed to Toad and Snake sage mode. Most clans keep sage data with their most precious and secret information, accessible only to high ranking members of such clans.’ 

  
Sasuke looked up, electrified. He had already known he could summon hawks, thanks to a contract he had signed many years before with his father. He could learn sage mode from hawks? There was only one way to find out, — to go to the Uchiha Naka shrine and gaze upon the stone tablet that held all secrets of his clan. That had to be the place to look. 

  
Sasuke shot to his feet, his former exhaustion all but forgotten. He handed the books to a librarian (the other one’s shift had ended), and hurried out the door, barely able to contain himself. He infused his feet with chakra as he exited the library and leaped effortlessly across the rooftops, ignoring the stiffness in his limbs. His body moved on autopilot, he knew the way. Not a week went by when he didn’t go to the Uchiha compound, where the Naka Shrine was located. The distance he had to travel irritated him though, he never understood why the Uchiha’s neighborhood was on the outskirts of Konoha, considering they had been the village’s most powerful clan. He shook off the thought quickly, and kept moving. 

  
Sasuke leaped over the high barrier wall that still stood proudly around the compound, and pushed himself faster, moving so quickly his feet barely skimmed the ground, chakra welling out around them and buoying his steps further and further. At last, he had alighted at the top of the stone stairs at the entrance of the Naka Shrine. His feet carried him forward, through the main doors. He went to the seventh tatami mat from the far right and lifted it, revealing the entrance to the secret Uchiha meeting place. He replaced the mat before descending down the stairs. His heart was suddenly heavy, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. This place was agonizing. His clan should be here, but they weren’t, they were all dead goddamn it! Shaking his head harshly to clear it, Sasuke stepped onto the landing of the stairs and wove a few quick signs and lit the torches mounted on the walls with a small Fire style jutsu. Somehow, the place always seemed more frightening when there was light, as opposed to the darkness that usually filled it. Sasuke walked forward to the small alcove that contained the Stone Tablet.

  
It stood there as it always did, flanked by the two brightly colored Uchiha — hand fan — symbols emblazoned on the stern walls, and the twisting murals adorning the perpendicular rooms. Sasuke seized a torch from one of the wall brackets, and thrust it into the braziers on each side of the stone tablet, lighting them ablaze with a shock of golden-orange light. Replacing the torch, Sasuke finally turned back to the Stone Tablet, ready to decipher the encrypted words engraved upon it. His hands came together in the Seal of Confrontation, and he collected what chakra he had left and concentrated it in his eyes, careful to feed all of it to his Sharingan. The usual headache that came with activating his sharingan after a long day sprang to life in his temples, but he ignored it. After a long moment, his eyes snapped open, and he immediately realized that his sharingan had not activated. Puzzled, he reached deep inside of himself for more chakra, and found none. He did not even have enough chakra to awaken his Sharingan. 

  
Sasuke cursed vehemently, but the only thing that could replenish his chakra was rest, and he had precious little of that. Resigned to the fact of his bodily and mental exhaustion, Sasuke dragged out one of the soft prayer mats from a dusty stack in the corner and spread it out in front of the Stone Tablet. He fell upon the mat, and without even removing his hitai-ate, fell asleep on the floor of Naka Shrine, the final loyal Uchiha, pushed to the limit in his search for power. 


	2. The Decision

When Sasuke finally awoke, the braziers had burned down a pair of smoldering embers, and the torches had extinguished themselves, leaving the former Uchiha meeting room half submerged in dusty darkness. He gazed at the ceiling for a moment, the moment of confusion upon awakening in an unexpecting place still wavering through his mind. Once the realization of why he was here dawned upon him, he bolted upright. There was no time to waste. He drew deep within himself, this time finding a replenished pool of chakra and fed it to his eyes. This time, his Sharingan snapped obediently into existence with a swoosh, and he focused in on the Uchiha stone tablet with his enhanced vision.

  
His eyes flickered over the first few lines that he could decipher, but found nothing referring to Sage Mode, or the Hawk Summons. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, and focused harder on the stone, trying to read further into the words, but it was totally indecipherable. 

  
“Tch!” Sasuke blinked hard, driving away the afterimage of the stone that had burned itself into his vision, and turned his eyes to the murals on the walls next to him. A fine line of blue caught his eye, one that he had not noticed before. Curious, he siphoned more chakra into his eyes, and the line became even thicker, and seemed to almost glow with life energy.

  
_A chakra marking!_ Sasuke realized in a flash, and brushed his fingertips up against it, feeling it throb against his skin. Sure enough, it had the familiar tingle of Uchiha chakra, but the signature itself was not familiar to Sasuke. It wasn’t his father’s chakra, and it certainly wasn’t Itachi’s foul chakra either. WIth this in mind, Sasuke allowed himself to follow the chakra trail as it led him out of the alcove that held the stone tablet, and back out into the main meeting room. There it turned left and continued to run across the wall to the western most corner of the meeting room where it dipped down to the floor and disappeared. 

  
Sasuke knelt down, inspecting the floor where the chakra had disappeared. It was perfectly smooth, with no hint of a secret entrance or trap door. He ran his fingers across the wall and floor with deliberate caution. It was to no avail, the floor was seamless and unyielding. Annoyance flared in Sasuke’s throat, but he swallowed it back, and extended a tendril of chakra towards the floorboard, pushing it through the porous cracks of the pine wood, and into the space below. The tendril of chakra quivered, there was something of importance down there. Sasuke drew the kunai from the holster strapped to his thigh, and jammed into into the floorboard without hesitation. A few minutes of crowbarring later, Sasuke ripped the board free of the nails holding it in place, revealing the dark space beneath. Within that dark space lay a single scroll, covered in a layer of dust so thick that it might have been a woolen blanket. 

  
Reaching down, Sasuke grasped the scroll and drew it out, shaking off the dust as he did so. He turned it over reverently in his hands, and found the seal holding it shut. He broke the seal deftly, and unrolled the scroll gently, trying not to crack the aged paper as he did so. Spreading it across the ground, Sasuke used his kunai to pin one of the ends down, and continued to unfurl it with the utmost care, his curiosity nearly overwhelming him. But the contents of the scroll made Sasuke flinch with shock. 

  
The scroll was nearly all blank, containing only two vertically aligned rectangles, with one being filled with a column of characters and a smear of blood at the bottom, and the other one being completely blank. Next to these rectangles, there lay the kanji 愛鷹山. 

  
_Mount Ashitaka?_ Sasuke thought. _What the hell is that? I’ve never heard of it._ He leaned over the scroll, inspecting the filled rectangle. Within, written in strong strokes of now brown blood, was the name うちは 在影 or Uchiha Arikage, and five bloody fingerprints rested below it. Sasuke had no idea who this Arikage might be, but it appeared to him like this was a summoning contract. Without hesitation, Sasuke slit open a cut on the palm of his right hand, ignoring the pain, and wrote out his name on the scroll, before loading each of his fingers in the blood and pressing them done against the rough surface.

He took a moment to wind a bandage around his hand to staunch the bleed before summoning up a portion of chakra and weaving the requisite hand seals for Summoning Jutsu. Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram! Sasuke slammed his hand onto the ground as he released his gathered chakra in a burst, watching in satisfaction as a series of black symbols spread out from under his hand, indicating that the summoning was indeed under way. Seconds later, a puff of smoke filled the room. When it dissipated, a single large hawk was left standing in the midst of it, ruffling its feathers as it shifted from foot to foot, watching Sasuke with its cold yellow eyes. 

  
_Now what the hell do I do?_ Sasuke thought. _Talk to it?_ He rejected the thought almost instantly. The idea of talking animals was absurd, even in the near-unbelievable ninja world he inhabited. 

  
“Did you summon me here just to stare at me, boy?” the sharp voice pierced through Sasuke’s mind as if it had been shouted directly in his ear. Sasuke’s eyes jumped back to the hawk, and realized in a split second that the hawk had indeed spoken. It took a second for his shock to subside before he spoke, forcing a degree of calmness into his words. 

  
“Mount Ashitaka. What can you tell me about it?” 

  
The hawk ruffled its feathers and fixed Sasuke with a cold glare. “Why should I tell you anything. I don’t even know who you are.” 

  
“I don’t have time for this!” Sasuke hissed, his sharingan flaring to life in an instant. “I am Uchiha Sasuke, the last loyal member of the great Uchiha clan of Konoha, and I need to learn to use Sage Mode, and fast!”

  
“You summoned the wrong hawk, then. You’re looking for my father, he has more patience than me in dealing with you foolish humans. Try summoning again, shrimp, and you might just get the answers you desire.” the hawk spread his wings in a single fluid movement, and just as quickly as he had appeared, he had gone in an explosion of smoke.

  
“Goddamn it!” Sasuke exploded. His hands flew through the proper signs and he pressed his palm on the floor once more, completing the Summoning Jutsu with a burst of chakra. This time, he used more than twice the chakra he had expended the first time. He did not even stop to consider the toll on his stamina; he knew he naturally had quite a large chakra reserve. The release of opaque white smoke was much larger this time, and when the curtains of smoke were finally swept away, Sasuke’s breath caught in his throat at the majestic nature of the creature he had summoned. 

  
An enormous hawk, at least twice Sasuke’s size, filled the room in front of him, forced to duck so the crown of feathers that adorned the top of his noble head wouldn’t brush the underside of the ceiling. 

  
“It has been so long since I was last summoned.” This hawk’s voice was rich and impossibly deep, like the rumble of an avalanche in a deserted mountain valley. “The last time was before this village had gotten its second Hokage.”

  
“By Uchiha Arikage, by any chance?”

  
Surprise flashed in the hawk’s beady yellow eyes. “Are you his kin?” 

  
Sasuke shook his head. “I just saw his name on the summoning contract.” 

  
“He was a great man, and an incredible shinobi. Did he ever become Hokage, like Shodaime-sama promised he would?” 

  
“I’ve never even heard of Arikage-san before today.” Sasuke said. “There’s never been an Uchiha Hokage, and there probably never will be.” 

  
The hawk cocked it’s massive head. “That is a shame. Your clan has always produced the finest shinobi in all of Konoha. That is why, after all, the hawks choose to only bend to the will of the Uchiha, and no other.” 

  
Despite himself, Sasuke felt a smile touch his face. It had been a long time since anyone had lauded the Uchiha in this manner in his presence. The suspicion that had hung over the death of his clan had long tainted the legacy of the Uchiha, and Itachi’s murderously traitorous deeds against Konohagakure certainly hadn’t helped.

  
“So, tell me, young master, why have you summoned me here today?” the hawk asked.

  
“I wish to learn Sage Mode from your master.” Sasuke said. He knelt and bowed his head deeply, and swallowed hard, praying that the words wouldn’t catch in his throat. It took him a moment to unbend his iron strong pride and speak. “I would be deeply indebted if you could tell me where Mount Ashitaka is.” 

The uproarious laugh of the hawk shook the room. Shocked, his face flushed with quick rage, Sasuke looked up, ready to strike out at the hawk for his insolence. But when he met the hawk’s eyes, he found no malice or mocking in them, just quiet amusement. 

  
“I cannot tell you where Mount Ashitaka is. If I did, you would not be able to find it. The mountain only appears to the worthy, and is located in one of the most inhospitable places of the entire ninja world. I can, however, tell you where to look.” 

  
“Please.” Sasuke dipped his head again. “I would be honored to know, sir.” 

  
The hawk let out a hiss of breath from his nostrils, and Sasuke realized he was sighing. “Please call me Nosuri. Your formalities make me uncomfortable. After all, I am the summon, and you are the summoner.” Nosuri paused for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. “I will give you this information only in the highest confidence.” He bent an unerring stare upon Sasuke, intense enough to make the hairs on the back of the boy’s neck prickle. “If it is found that you have revealed any of the information I am about to give you, my master will be highly displeased. In fact, he will hunt you down and slaughter you. Do you understand?” 

  
“Yes.” Sasuke forced back the irritation that was rising in his chest. “I swear on my honor as an Uchiha.” 

  
“Very well. Mount Ashitaka will reveal itself to you in the Land of Mountains, West of the Land of Earth, and south of the Land of Iron. Once you arrive there, find Kagerō Village. It is an abandoned and war-ravaged area that was a shinobi village, not so long ago. The mountain will be within thirty kilometers of that village. That is all I can tell you.” 

  
“West of the Land of the Earth?” Sasuke said, astonished. “That’s nearly a thousand kilometers away.”

“I didn’t say this journey would be easy.” Nomuri said. “There is a reason why only one member of Konohagakure has ever gone to Mount Ashitaka to receive Sage training.”

  
“Tch!” Sasuke turned away, disgusted. It would take him months to arrive at the mountains if he went on foot. He didn’t have months, god damn it! He had no time! There had to be another way to get there. There had to be. “I don’t have the sort of time to travel there. Tell me an easier way to get there.” 

  
“There is no easier way.” Nosuri’s voice sharpened. “You should know already that there are no shortcuts to becoming a great shinobi. No hawk that you summon can bring you there. I have given you the information you have requested. Seeing as my presence will do nothing more here, I will be going. Good day, young master.” He dipped his head courteously, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  
It took Sasuke a few moments to regain control over his raging temper. Getting angry wouldn’t serve any purpose at this point. He needed a clear head and a plan; he needed a proper map for his journeys, and needed to put together his travel pack. In an instant, his mind was made up. Uchiha Sasuke was leaving Konoha to learn Sage Mode from the Hawk Sage of Mount Ashitaka. 


	3. Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note, I have changed the personality of Sakura's character a little bit, because I dislike how Kishimoto wrote her in both Part One and Part Two of Naruto. My Sakura is more capable of understanding both Sasuke and Naruto's emotions, and will be a far more capable shinobi than canon-Sakura was (not to detract from the brilliance of canon-Sakura's medical ninjutsu though). Secondly, a note on pairings. While this is not a romance fanfiction in the slightest, there will be undertones of relationships in it, beginning in this chapter. I do prefer NaruSasu over SasuSaku, but this fanfiction will not be deviating from canon in that manner as of now. I have taken some creative liberties in the conversation between Sasuke and Sakura in this chapter, but most of it is based on the translation of the manga chapter in which it appears. 
> 
> Also, I am a bit swamped in school work, so updates might be coming a bit slower until the end of the semester. However, this doesn't mean I've forgotten about this story, or your kind reviews and kudos. Any support at all you leave on this work is much appreciated, and helps this self-conscious writer out! Again, thank you for reading, and please enjoy!

Sasuke cinched the collar of the calf length black travel cloak tight around the base of his throat, and pulled open the cover of his travel backpack one last time to check the contents. Sure enough, everything was layered perfectly, with food and essential items organized neatly at the top where they could be easily accessed. Satisfied, he closed the top of the pack and tied a square knot to keep it shut. He placed his bedroll on the top of it, and lashed that down as well. The detailed map of ninja territories that he had procured (illegally) from the ANBU supply building was secured on his belt, and his kunai and shuriken holsters had also been replenished, courtesy of the ANBU armory. All that was left to do was do before he left was a final check of his room to make sure he hadn’t left anything important behind. 

Hitched up the hood of the cloak, Sasuke pulled open the door to his apartment building and walked slowly up the stairs, suddenly painfully aware of how heavy the pack was on his shoulders. _Of course it’s going to be heavy, you idiot. It’s a shinobi travel kit for a journey of a hundred kilometers or more._ He told himself. It had been around mid-afternoon when he had emerged from the meeting room under Naka Shrine, and getting all the equipment he needed for the trip had taken a surprisingly long time. Now, the brilliant crescent moon hung in the inky sky, framed by wisps of indigo clouds. 

That very same moon was shining brightly through the large window in Sasuke’s room as he unlocked the door and entered. A thin finger of moonlight fell across the simple wood-framed photo that rested on the window ledge. Sasuke swallowed hard. It was the picture of Team Seven that Kakashi had made them take on one of their first days as genin under his command. His heart twinged, almost painfully, and he clenched his jaw, trying to drive away the feeling. He cared about Sakura and Naruto and Kakashi, but even they couldn’t get in the way of Itachi. He wouldn’t allow it. The words of the two-headed Oto-nin echoed in his ear, as if the bastard was still besides him. _This village will only become the shackles that bind you. It’s best to just cut those worthless connections. In doing so, you’ll be able to obtain a much greater power._

_Feh_ ! Sasuke curled his lip in disgust. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, his competition with Naruto had made him stronger. Without a rival to stay ahead of, without _usuratonkachi_ to save and simultaneously upstage, Sasuke would not have developed as much as he had. With Naruto and Sakura, he had faced Zabuza and Haku, he had even thrown himself in front of Haku’s senbon to ensure that Naruto would survive. His upper arms and chest burned at the memory, as if Haku’s senbon were still embedded in his flesh. He had awoken his two-tomoe sharingan while battling side by side with Sakura and Naruto against Orochimaru. Even if he left them now, the remnants of their bonds would live on forever in the kekkei genkai in his eyes. _Bastard didn’t know anything._ Sasuke thought fiercely. _My bonds with them made me stronger._ He reached out slowly, as if in a dream, and flipped the picture face down. He couldn’t stand their eyes boring into him, accusing him of cowardice and cruelty and treason. _I’m sorry, you guys. But I have to go._ There had been a grain of truth in the Oto-bastard’s words. Sasuke had to get so much stronger in such a short period of time. That was not something Konoha could do for him, but it was something that the hawks of Ashitaka could. Or at least, he hoped with all his heart. He was betting all his honor and perhaps even his life on this idea. 

Sasuke turned to leave. There was nothing here for him anymore. He had made his bed with his usual immaculate perfection, and had put away the wayward scrolls that had been left here and there. He made sure to lock the sliding glass doors to the patio and his window before heading back to the door. Before he could reach it, however, he sensed a presence. 

Without a second of hesitation, his Sharingan flared to life, and a kunai slipped into the palm of his hand. 

“Who’s there!” he called out. “Come out, I know you’re there!” 

A shape melted out from the darkness, becoming recognizable in an instant. The pink hair, the red dress… 

“Sakura… Why the hell are you here?” Sasuke lowered his kunai, but only slightly. 

“I know you’d try to leave.” Sakura said, and Sasuke’s finely tuned ears detected a quiver in her voice. 

“Get out of here and go back to sleep.” Sasuke said, shouldering his way past her, thrusting his kunai back into the holster and digging his hands deep into his pockets. _This is the last thing I need right now!_

“Why won’t you say anything to me? Why do you always keep so quiet? You never say a single word to me!” Sakura’s cry pierced Sasuke’s ears, halting his movements forward. He expected to feel the familiar rush of anger flood his body, but he only felt a pulse of sadness and pity. Even after all this time, she still didn’t understand. He had expected more from such a smart kunoichi. 

“I told you,” Sasuke was surprised at how tired his voice sounded, even to him. “I don’t need your help. Don’t try to look after me.” _Just go,_ Sasuke thought. _Don’t make this harder for me. Or you._

“No matter what, you just always hate me, don’t you? Ever since the beginning, with you, me, Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto.” She paused. “We did all sorts of missions, just the four of us. It was painful and difficult at times. Even with that though, I still enjoyed it.” 

_So did I!_ Sasuke wanted to scream. _But enjoyment doesn’t matter! My revenge does. Itachi annihilated three of Konoha’s elite jonins with a single glance, Kakashi included! I can’t get strong enough to defeat him here, so I have to leave! It’s not because I hate you or Naruto or Kakashi. It’s because I have a goal, and no matter what I must accomplish it!_ But Sasuke had no idea how to articulate these words. He stayed silent and stony faced, unable to speak, the words jumbled in his throat. 

“I know all about your past, Sasuke-kun.” Sakura was forging on with her soliloquy. Sasuke resisted the urge to flinch, and his hands clenched tightly into fists in his pockets. What did she know about his past, his pain, his revenge? Naruto was the only one who could even come close to understanding any of that, and even he could never understand Sasuke's pain. “Even if you get your revenge, it won’t bring anyone happiness. Not even you, Sasuke, nor me.” 

Despite himself, Sasuke found himself speaking. “I already knew that.” _As soon as Itachi raised his blade against my clan, my life’s path would never lead to happiness._ “I’m different from you all. I can’t be following the same path as you guys.” Sasuke didn’t know why he was telling her the truth. This would only cause her pain. Despite that, he knew she deserved to know. “Up until now, we’ve done everything as a group. But there is something else I must do. I must kill Itachi, and that means I’ll never be like you or Naruto.” 

“Do you really want to go back to being alone?” Sakura demanded. There were now tears streaming down her face in earnest, yet her hand strayed to the kunai on her thigh. 

“Are you going to try to stop me?” Sasuke asked, his voice hardening in an instant. 

“I will if I have to, but I don’t want to!” Sakura tried to grab a deep breath, but only succeeded in letting out a great sob. “I love you with all my heart! If you were to stay with me, there’d be no regrets because every day we’d do something fun, we’d be happy, I swear! I would do anything for you, so please, just stay with me! I'll even help you with your revenge. I don’t know what I could do, but I’ll try my best to do something. So lease, stay with me, or take me with you if you can’t stay here.” 

“I’ll say this bluntly, Sakura. At this point, you’re not capable of helping me or stopping me.” Sasuke paused, trying to soften his words but finding himself unable to do so, “In the shinobi world, the weak die. I can’t protect you anymore, so do me a favor and get stronger. Naruto would rather if you didn’t die.” 

“What about you Sasuke-kun? Would you care if I died?” 

“I’m leaving. Get out of my way.” Sasuke snapped. He needed to get out of this situation before his heart split any further. 

“You’re going to Orochimaru, aren’t you? You’ve going to get power from someone who attacked Konoha.” 

Sasuke’s head snapped around. “Who told you that?” 

“He gave you that mark on your neck, didn’t he? I figured he did that for a reason, and he kept talking about how you’d come to him for power.” 

Sasuke’s hand went instinctively to his curse mark, and he thought he felt a twinge of power beneath the surface, though he could have simply imagined it. “I’m not going to that snake-bastard for power. That’s all you need to know.” He turned away again, and began to move toward the stairwell. 

“Don’t leave!” Sakura screamed, and Sasuke sensed a kunai arcing toward him. He simply moved his head to the side and watched as it sailed harmlessly past his head, ruffling his hair in its wake and impale itself to the wall in front of Sasuke. He moved in an instant, his decision forefront in his mind. With a shift of the Body Flicker technique, he was behind Sakura, the most powerful genjutsu his two-tomoe sharingan could muster already in action. 

“Sakura. Thank you.” He said, very quietly. He touched her shoulder gently, and released the amassed chakra, finishing the casting of the genjutsu with a simple flick of his fingers. She was asleep before she could hit the ground. But Sasuke caught her. He would not let one of his precious teammates fall so violently to the ground, least of all by his hand. Loath to admit it or not, he cared about her deeply, despite the fact that she annoyed him to no end as well. He couldn’t help but notice how warm she was in his arms as he gently propped her up against the wall, and brushed a strand of hair from her face. Tear stained as it was, she was still beautiful, especially in the moonbeams falling through the uppermost window of the staircase. Sasuke pushed all such thoughts out of his mind, and rose to his feet. It was time to go. Who knew when those disgusting Oto creeps would be back to harass him again. He didn’t want to be dragged back to their perverted snake master, that was for sure. No, he would purge every trace of that disgusting bastard from his body as soon as he reached Mount Ashitaka. 

Sasuke slipped out of his apartment complex via the back door, careful to disguise his chakra signature to the best of his abilities. Konoha always seemed so docile at night, all the brilliant lights dimmed or extinguished completely, and the masses of civilians and shinobi alike vanished from the streets. Pain lanced through his heart as memories threatened to overcome him. His father and mother walking him through the streets, one on either side of him, one holding each of his hands. His father, with his proud, serious face and zippered Konoha vest and shirt emblazoned with the logo of the Uchiha police force. His mother, slender and beautiful, with long black hair that flowed like liquid darkness down her back. And his brother, wiry and confident and handsome, walking ahead of all of them, the Uchiha clan crest stitched in blood-red thread on his back, his long black hair tied back by the signature red ribbon. 

Pain flared through his eyes, and he brought a hand up to his face, trying to hasten its departure. Blinking hard, he scrubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm, and mustered up his chakra in his feet and calves. With a single power-infused leap, Sasuke alighted upon the rooftop of the adjacent building, and scanned the horizon with his Sharingan. He saw the glow of chakra that indicated the ANBU scouts posted on regular intervals on the retaining wall of the village, and he moved quickly and efficiently along the most sheltered path he could find. This was not easy; it took a significant portion of his attention to do so, skirting every ANBU lookout post was challenging, even for Sasuke. _Some genius I am,_ he thought bitterly. _I can barely leave my village unnoticed._

But he could, and he would. Sasuke made the last jump up onto the wall of Konoha, and leaped down on the other side into the forest. He winced at the impact as he landed; he was not used to the amount of weight he now carried in his ruck. Straightening up, he pushed his shoulders back, and cast a wave of chakra back towards Konoha. He sensed nothing amiss, no signs that anyone had mobilized to find him, or had even noticed his absence and escape. Nonetheless, as he leaped from tree to tree, as he moved further and further away from the village where he had grown up and lived for so long, a part of Sasuke’s mind wondered what Naruto would feel when he had discovered Sasuke’s departure. A dull throb sprang up in his chest, and Sasuke was surprised at how difficult it was for him to push away the emotions entirely. _I have to get stronger._ Sasuke set his jaw, and increased his pace. There was no time to waste. 

A strand of his roaming chakra twitched, and Sasuke was immediately alert, altering his path to take him up the branches of a nearby tree. At the pinnacle of the branches, he paused, and cast his sharingan-enhanced gaze southeast back towards Konoha. He saw nothing. Gritting his teeth with annoyance, Sasuke fed more chakra to his eyes, straining to see further in the soft darkness. Yet, despite his efforts, nothing more was revealed to him. 

_ You’re too jumpy, otouto _ . Itachi’s deep voice rolled through Sasuke’s head like a rumble of thunder, as if he was standing besides Sasuke and speaking into his ear. Sasuke jerked back involuntarily, icy fear jolting through his veins like an electric shock.  _ Itachi, here? That’s not possible! I would have sensed him!  _ Fighting to keep the nausea that was welling up in his stomach in check, Sasuke grabbed deep breaths, trying to calm his galloping heartbeat.  _ It’s just your imagination, you fool, calm down! _ But even his well-practiced rationality paled in the face of the terror and raw hatred that Itachi conjured up inside of him. Bile stung the back of his throat as pitch-black memories threatened to overwhelm his consciousness.  _ Come on! Move! You don’t have time for this! _ Sasuke wrenched his limbs free of the tendrils of fear clinging to his skin, and shook his head viciously, hoping it would clear his thoughts, and jumped from the tree to the next, moving quickly and assuredly, hoping he could leave the terror behind him altogether. 

Dawn was just beginning to creep over the horizon when Sasuke felt the first persistent aches of fatigue begin to spread through his limbs. He slowed rapidly, and eventually came to a halt on a thick horizontal branch of an oak tree, its fronds knitting above him in a protective canopy. Dapples of newborn sunlight leaked through the leaves and splattered across the forest floor in a patchwork of light and darkness. A ray of sunlight fell across Sasuke’s neck in a slice of warmth. But beneath the sun-warmth, Sasuke could feel the persistent itch of the Curse Mark. His hand went to his neck to cup it instinctively, and this time, he could feel the thrum of power beneath the surface as if it was ready to explode. He shivered. Just how much power had Orochimaru put in him? How much nature energy was this thing taking in? How could he ever control it? The first time he had tapped into its power in the Forest of Death, it had threatened to take over his consciousness and free will entirely. It was only by some miracle that Sakura had been able to stop him. His fists tightened at the thought. 

_ The power isn’t worth it if I can’t control it. It isn’t worth it if I didn’t earn it myself.  _ Sasuke worked his jaw loose, painfully aware of how tense it was.  _ I won’t defeat Itachi with anything except with what is mine, and mine alone.  _ He withdrew the roaming bands of chakra he had extended.  _ If I can get to the border with the Kusagakure quick enough, I don’t have to worry about pursuers.  _ With that thought, Sasuke gathered up his strength, channeled it to his legs, and increased his speed tenfold. He would reach Kusagakure by midday tomorrow, or he would not reach it at all. It was all up to him.


	4. Fateful Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dear readers! I am back with another chapter, though this is still a very rough draft. However, I wanted to get the content out to you all without further delay. 
> 
> A quick note-- Naruto's Rasengan in this chapter is yellow because that is how it was originally in the manga, and I prefer the manga canon in that case. Also, a number of lines in this chapter have been lifted directly from the VIZ translation of certain chapters of the Naruto manga, so if it seems like my voice is suddenly changing, that's why. Without further ado, please enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review (criticism always welcome), and kudos if you are so inclined!
> 
> ~ A.K.

All was going as planned, Sasuke reflected. He knelt at the bank of the river, cupping the clear water in his hands and tossing it over his face. Though he had sensed pursuers about an hour ago, he had already arrived at the Kannabi Bridge, which marked the border between the Land of Fire and the territory controlled by Kusagakure. He was confident that the Konoha ninjas that were in pursuit of him would not dare cross the border in the interest of maintaining civil relations with their neighboring nation. 

Straightening to his feet, Sasuke fiddled with the strap of his pack, trying to prevent it from digging uncomfortably into his skin. He leaped easily back up to the top of the river bank and gazed across the bridge. He took a deep breath. This was the first real step in his journey. He did not pause; instead striding confidently out onto the wooden planks of the bridge. Wind howled in his ears, mixing with the rumble of water far below him. He was halfway across when he sensed a familiar chakra signature was careening toward him at a breakneck speed. It was too late, though. Sasuke was already at the other side. He firmly planted his feet on Kusagakure ground and started toward the tree line. 

“Sasuke!” The familiar shout reached his ears, even over the roar of the water below the bridge and the howling wind. Irritation flared within him, and he took a step forward into the trees as if no one had spoken. This was no place for Naruto to be. Sasuke wouldn’t let some moron change the path that he had to walk, even if it was his teammate. Even if he did care deeply about Naruto. 

“What, are you gonna run away?” the furious yell echoed after Sasuke, each word tinged with rage. Despite himself, Sasuke felt a sardonic smile touch his lips as he turned to face the annoying source of the sound.  _ Wow, Naruto is really worked up today, isn’t he?  _

“Hey,  _ usuratonkachi. _ ” Despite the laid-back casualty of his words, Sasuke was shocked at Naruto’s appearance. The knucklehead ninja’s orange outfit was torn open in several places, revealing the chainmail shirt beneath it, and blood spattered the cuffs of his orange jacket in a shocking contrast against the fabric. Scuffs of dirt marred his pink face, and his normally spiky blonde hair was unusually dull and subdued with earthy undertones. “I told Sakura this, so… Don’t bother me anymore.” 

“You lied to Sakura-chan!” Naruto shouted. “You told her that you weren’t going to Orochimaru, and you are! Don’t bother lying, those Sound Ninja creeps told Kakashi-sensei everything.” 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Sasuke growled. “Why would I go to that snake for power?” 

“You see! You’re still lying! You can’t lie to my face like that, bastard. I’ll beat the truth out of you if I have to!” Naruto broke into a sprint toward Sasuke, teeth gritted and eyes ablaze with anger. 

“I’m not lying, and I didn’t lie to Sakura, you idiot!” Sasuke snarled, side-stepping Naruto’s furious charge, and shoving him harshly, sending the orange-clad ninja slamming into the wooden planks of the bridge. “Think, moron! If I was going to Orochimaru and Otogakure, why would I be going this way! And besides, what does it have to do with you? I have my own path, and I won’t let anyone lead me any other way. No matter who it is.” 

“Orochimaru was the one who killed the Third and tried to crush Konoha! You think he’s just gonna give you some power for free!” Naruto was on his feet again, breathing hard, face red with anger. “He just wants your body to use as his vessel. You might not come back! You might get killed! I can’t let you go somewhere like that!”

“I fucking know that!” Sasuke bellowed. He found a kunai in the palm of his hand and he hurled it toward Naruto with abandon. “That’s why I’m not going to Orochimaru! I’m going somewhere else to find power. Power greater than Orochimaru could ever have.” 

“Is that all you care about? Power?” Naruto batted the kunai down with impunity, sending it careening over the lip of the bridge and into the endless current of the river below. 

“You wouldn’t understand.” Sasuke sneered. “All that I care about is that I accomplish my objective. I can’t help it if you’re going to get in the way.” 

“You can’t do it! I’ll take you back with full force!” 

“Why can’t you respect my decision!” Sasuke roared. “It’s my life! I get to decide what I do with it, not you! And why do you need to know where I’m going, anyway? Are you going to try to ruin things there for me too?” 

“If you won’t tell me, how am I supposed to know if you’re lying and going to Orochimaru instead?” Naruto yelled. 

“You’re hopeless,” hissed Sasuke. “You aren’t listening to a word I’m saying, are you?”  _ Just listen to me, usuratonkachi. I don’t want to have to kill you.  _ He channeled power to his left hand and began to infuse it with lightning chakra. “I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.” 

“There you are, Sasuke-chan,” the coldly amused voice froze Sasuke where he stood. He knew that voice. It belonged to a certain slimy, arrogant bastard he’d hoped he’d not encounter again. He turned slowly, and gazed across the bridge, Chidori still crying out in his palm in a brilliant flicker of chakra-generated electricity. On the opposite side of the bridge, there were two figures emerging from the tree line, tell-tale purple belts wrapped around their waists. 

_ God damn it! They’ve caught up to me.  _ Sasuke’s eyes narrowed instantly, his mind flickering through a number of battle strategies. No matter which way he looked at things, this was bad. He was sure that he would have to tap into the Curse Mark’s power to stand a chance of defeating both of the Oto-nin at the same time. 

Naruto pointed at the Oto-nin as if just noticing they were there. “Wha… But I thought that Choji and Kiba were fighting you two!” 

“The Nine-Tails brat? I wasn’t expecting him here.” Sakon crossed his arms, a nasty smile plastered across his hideous pale face. “I’m sorry, Sasuke-chan, was I interrupting your date?” 

“Shut up!” Sasuke released the chakra in his hand to kickstart the chidori. The familiar screech filled his ears, along with the tingling sensation of his chakra changing to electricity. 

“Where are Choji and Kiba?” Naruto was standing besides Sasuke now, close enough that their shoulders were brushing. 

“Oh, those weaklings who tried to stop us?” Sakon chuckled. “We… got rid of them both.” 

“That’s not possible! They’d never let you beat them?” 

“Is that right?” Sakon reached behind his back and grasped a large velvet pouch from the rear of his belt. “I beg to differ.” He pulled the drawstrings keeping the bag closed, and promptly turned it upside down. 

The sound of Kiba’s decapitated head hitting the hard-packed dirt of the forest floor seemed preternaturally loud to Sasuke’s ears, even over the scream of the Chidori. Even for Sasuke, who had seen so much death in his twelve years, this was shocking. Shocking enough that his concentration slipped entirely, and the Chidori faltered out in his palm, and his arm fell limply to his side. With his Sharingan active, he could see every minute detail on Kiba’s dead face, every scratch and burn mark, every bruise, and especially the rich crimson blood that still dripped slowly out of the bottom of his neck. A sudden bout of nausea gripped him, and it took all his strength to hold back the bile rising in his throat. 

A low, animalistic growl jerked Sasuke back into his own body. He felt a tremendous heat on the left side of his body, and jerked away at what he saw. Naruto was hunched over on all fours besides him, an incredible physical transformation already underway. The whisker birthmarks on each of his cheeks had darkened considerably, and his canines had grown freakishly long, digging into the edge of his lips. His eyes were now a hue of bright red, and his pupils long and slitted. His hair was now standing up in thickened spikes, as if he had just been electrocuted, and his nails had lengthened into white talons that tore at the wooden planks beneath them. And if all that wasn’t enough, a thick cloud of orange-red chakra was bubbling out from Naruto’s usually bright and tame chakra aura, accompanied by an overwhelming, malevolent hatred that seemed to scorch the very surface of Sasuke’s skin. More and more of this reddish chakra began to pour out, quickly enveloping all of Naruto’s body in its protective case. Long ears sprouted from the top of the chakra cloak, and a pair of tails grew from the back, lashing back and forth furiously until Sasuke realized he could not stand close to Naruto, lest he be struck by the power of the Nine Tails. 

“Naruto?” the name slipped out of Sasuke’s lips without a thought. “What…?” The creature that used to be Naruto swung its head toward Sasuke, and snarled low and deep in the back of its throat. The sound sent chills down Sasuke’s back. A drop of sweat trickled down his temple.  _ The seal… Will it break and unleash the Kyubi altogether? _

“What’s this? A new power of some sort?” Sakon mused. “It won’t be enough to—” In a split second, Naruto was gone from Sasuke’s side. Even with the Sharingan, Sasuke had a hard time seeing what exactly had happened, but the sickly sound of an impact told him quickly what had occurred. Naruto had struck Sakon with a single Nine Tails chakra infused punch, and sent him flying over two hundred yards back into the treeline.  _ My God… This is the power of the Nine Tails. No… This isn’t even a fraction of the Kyubi’s power.  _ A shudder ran through the upraised hair on the skin of Sasuke’s forearms. Something told him that he would be hard-pressed to survive if Naruto turned this unhinged power against him. 

But Naruto’s focus was frighteningly single-minded, locked onto the two-headed Otogakure bastard, which left the knucklehead open from the rear. Before Sasuke’s mind could finish processing what was occurring, the fat Oto-nin was rushing at Naruto’s turned back, the telltale orange and black pattern of a Curse Mark spreading over his body. 

_ Not so fast.  _ Sasuke felt the chakra concentrated in his palm crackle to electric life.  _ Move!  _ He told himself.  _ I need to move right now if I want to finish this guy.  _ The chattering scream of the Chidori was drowned out by the combination of the howling wind in his ears and the pulsing of blood in his head as he jumped forward, arm extended like a blade. With one smooth movement, Sasuke punched his electricity gloved hand through Jirobo’s back and out through the front of his chest in a fountain of blood. That same hot blood coursed through Sasuke’s electrified fingers and pulsed down his arm in thick crimson branches. He yanked himself free of Jirobo’s corpse and let it fall to the ground with a crash. Desperate, he looked up for Naruto, and somehow saw an even more horrifying sight than before. Instead of the transparent orange chakra cloak that Naruto had been enclosed in before, a staticky red chakra was beginning to seep over his teammate’s body and extend into long tails behind him. Horror clutched at Sasuke’s chest.  _ He’s going to transform into Nine-Tails! _

“Sakon!” the animalistic scream tore at Sasuke’s ear drums. His gaze jerked away from Naruto’s rapidly changing appearance, and finally realized that Naruto was crouched over a motionless body stained with blood, but… what in the world — the two-headed bastard had multiplied! There was another version of him standing a few feet away from Naruto. A clone? No… the chakra signature is different… That’s the enemy alright! Just as these thoughts flickered through Sasuke’s mind, he saw the bastard’s hands come together in a seal. There was no time to warn Naruto. Sasuke did not think, he simply moved. Infusing as much chakra as possible into his calves and right arm, he darted forward, closing the gap between him and the enemy radically, and lashed out at the Oto-nin’s hands, forcing the bastard to abandon his jutsu and leap back to avoid the blow. 

“Traitorous brat!” the Oto-nin spat. “Orochimaru-sama will kill you for your defiance.” 

“He can try,” Sasuke hissed. Without thinking, his hands came together in the Tiger Seal, and quickly progressed through the rest of the jutsu’s seals with the speed of hundreds of hours of practice. It was second nature to suck in a great lungful of air, infuse it with fire chakra, and release it. 

“Katon! Gokakyu no Jutsu!” the familiar scorching heat of flame release bathed Sasuke’s face as he released the technique with the mighty roar that only an Uchiha inferno could summon. His Sharingan dulled the brilliance of the fire style technique considerably, allowing his heightened ocular prowess to track its course. He watched as the stream of raging orange transformed into a roiling orb of dancing flames that expanded until it nearly obscured his entire field of vision. He heard the telltale whooshing sound of the activation of a water-style technique, but it was too late to protect the Oto-nin from the primary brunt of the blast. Without hesitation, Sasuke leaped into the ember-filled aftermath of the fireball, ready to finish the bastard off. But the Oto-nin was nowhere to be found, even aided with the Sharingan’s sharp vision. 

Damn it! Did I miss something? Sasuke spun around, trying to pinpoint the enemy’s location. He sensed the blow arcing toward his skull a moment too late, and was only barely able to get out of the way. He felt the icy cold tip of the kunai sink into his shoulder and tear open his flesh. An arm snaked around his neck and dragged him backward, cutting off his breathing as it did so. Furious at his slowness, Sasuke lashed out an elbow, driving the sharp point deep into his assailant’s side, and forcing all the air from the Oto-nin’s lungs with a huff. But the grip did not loosen in the slightest.  _ Kunai! Where’s my fucking kunai!  _ Sasuke’s hand groped at his thigh, trying to reach his holster, but he was becoming lightheaded with oxygen deprivation. Frantic, Sasuke pooled chakra into his palms, forced it roughly into Raiton, and grabbed the Oto-nin’s arm, discharging as massive electric shock into his enemy’s body. The Oto-nin shouted in agony, jerking involuntarily away from Sasuke, trying to evade the electricity that was flowing through his body and cramping up every muscle within him. The pressure on his neck released, Sasuke gulped at the air, trying to regain the edge he needed for combat. But he had barely even gotten in a single breath when he was struck thunderously from behind. 

All the remaining traces of air were jarred viciously from his lungs, and he tasted an explosion of metallic blood within his mouth as he was lifted off his feet from the force of the blow. His short flight through the air was brought to an abrupt stop when he crashed face first into an adjacent tree. His vision flashed and went black and he knew no more. When his eyes finally came back open, he was only aware of the throbbing pain in his shoulder, and the overwhelming chakra presence of the Nine-tails. 

Using the trunk of the tree as an aid, Sasuke pulled himself to his feet, one hand pressed to his head. His forehead protector had protected his face from the worst of the impact with the tree, but had paid dearly for it — a long crack now ran across the hitai ate, marring the symbol of Konoha stamped across its burnished surface. As far as Sasuke was concerned, it was useless now. Shaking his head viciously to clear the cobwebs generated by the impact, Sasuke stared in shock at the scene he saw. Naruto, still cloaked in the Kyubi’s chakra, was leading a furious onslaught on the remaining Oto-nin, his red limbs a bloody blur as he attacked from all angles. Even with the black-splotch pattern of the Curse Mark spread over his visage, the Oto-nin couldn;t even defend himself against Naruto. Realization flooded Sasuke. Naruto must have hit Sasuke with one of his chakra trails, knocking him out of the way so Naruto/Kyubi could attack the enemy with all his unbridled anger. 

_ This isn’t good. If he’s this strong, then there’s no way I can defeat him in a one on one battle. He’ll probably end up killing me instead of bringing me back to Konoha.  _ Sasuke’s hand tightened into a fist, squeezing harder and harder until he felt his nails bite deep into his flesh, drawing beads of blood to the surface.  _ I have to use a surprise attack to take him out. A fair fight won’t end well for me if he keeps this chakra state up.  _

Sasuke knew what he had to do. He seized a portion of chakra deep within his vast pool of spiritual energy, and set it aside from the rest of his reserves, erecting a strong barrier around it so that he could not draw upon it unless he specifically wanted to. Within that barrier, he began to knead the chakra into Raiton, just as Kakashi had taught him in the Chunin exams, and just as he had practiced over and over again while he trained alone to master the Raikiri technique.  _ A Chidori to the heart should do it. _ The cold thought rippled through Sasuke’s mind.  _ I’m willing to do anything to get stronger.  _

“Sasuke! Behind you!” Naruto’s raw throated yell sparked Sasuke into motion in an instant, triggering his battle instincts as he spun around and unleashing a razor-sharp cloud of wire-rigged shuriken with a sweep of his arms. Sasuke heard a sputtered curse from Sakon as he tried to dodge the shurikens, yet was caught in the wires that trailed behind them. The Fire Jutsu released next by Sasuke was simply second nature, though he restrained the size of it with careful chakra control. 

“You won’t catch me with that technique again, moron!” Sakon shouted from behind the curtain of flame. 

“Good!” Sasuke called. A smirked lifted the corner of his mouth. “Dodge these.” he whispered to himself. A split second later, six flaming shuriken materialized from the depths of the Katon technique, emerging too close to Sakon for him to dodge them successfully. The Oto-nin screamed in pain as the first shuriken sank deep into his thigh, and only barely avoided being hit squarely by the other five spiraling shuriken. One opened up a nasty gash on his cheek, but Sasuke was dismayed that Sakon had been able to dodge a majority of the attack. 

Before Sasuke could launch his next move, a reddish shape blazed past him, a howling tongue of wind rippling in its path. Sasuke’s finely tuned hearing detected the whooshing sound of tightly rotated compressed chakra. A yellow tinged Rasengan glowed like an ember in one Nine-Tailed cloaked hand. Sasuke watched in barely concealed awe as Kyubi/Naruto slammed the Rasengan into Sakon’s chest, blowing a wide, bloody hole into the bastard’s abdomen. Sakon coughed explosively, crimson blood welling at each corner of his purplish lips. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the only sound that emerged was a terrible rattling gasp before that too, fell silent. Sasuke didn’t need to check the bastard’s pulse to know he was dead. No one could survive a chest wound like that, not even one of the snake-pervert’s cronies. 

The static-red chakra about Naruto flickered tenuously, and Sasuke glimpsed Naruto beneath the Nine-Tails shell for the first time since the beginning of the battle. Naruto’s clothes were in veritable tatters, his skin flushed an angry red while sweat poured down his body. Sasuke had never seen Naruto so ravaged. 

_ This is my chance!  _ Sasuke thought, and he began to draw into his reserve of pre-molded lightning chakra and channeling it down to his palm. He had just about finished priming the Chidori when a breaking twig in the forest drew his attention. Sasuke’s head snapped around, searching for an enemy, and sure enough, he found one. A tall, filthy young man maybe a few years older than Naruto and Sasuke was walking toward them, albeit with a terrible limp, his clothes in ruin but the bedraggled purple rope belt somehow still knotted around his thin waist. His eyes were shockingly green, yet rimmed in red, while a pair of blood-red dots gleamed on his forehead, half obscured by the shoulder-length red hair that flowed around his pale face. His skin was spattered in dirt and blood, with twin runnels of blood pulsing out from his nostrils, and a thread of blood leaking from the corner of his thin mouth. 

“Who the hell are you?” Sasuke snarled. 

“Ah, Sasuke-kun. It’s been quite the ordeal to find you. Your friends seem to be very attached to you. Some even were willing to die to bring you back to your village.” The boy inclined his head in a veneer of politeness. “I am Kimimaro.” 

Against Sasuke’s better senses, the Chidori howled to life in his left hand.  _ I won’t go to Orochimaru. He can send every single one his soldiers, and I’ll never go to him alive.  _ Rage infused his chest, mixing with the pool of chakra that was bubbling forth inside of him. Sasuke was about to launch himself at Kimimaro when he felt a scorchingly hot touch on his shoulder. Without looking, he knew it was Naruto. He could feel the seething undulations of hatred that throbbed beneath the surface of the Nine-Tails’ potent chakra. 

_ He is too strong.  _ The shockingly deep voice echoed through Sasuke’s head.  _ IF you go at him now, you’ll get yourself and Naruto killed.  _

_ That you, Nine-Tails?  _ Sasuke thought. Within the hollow chamber of his consciousness, he saw a single, blood-red eye, bisected with a slit of a pupil slide open, a row of huge, shiny teeth gleaming beneath it. The overwhelming rage and hatred of the Nine-Tails boiled through his mind. 

_ Don’t make a mistake. I’m only helping my fool of Jinchuuriki because dying is quite inconvenient.  _ A low growl rippled through Sasuke’s mind.  _ Add your Chidori to Naruto’s rasengan. It’s the only way we’ll be able to defeat this guy, Uchiha brat.  _ Without another word, the fox’s eye slid back shut in Sasuke’s mind, and Sasuke felt the menacing chakra lessen somewhat. 

Pulling himself back into reality, Sasuke looked over to Naruto. The blonde was still covered in Nine-Tails chakra, but a Rasengan was glowing to life in his right hand. However, before the jutsu could be completed, Naruto’s hands came together in the sign for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Sasuke knew exactly what to do. As the shadow clones multiplied around him, Sasuke allowed the chidori to peter into silence, and promptly transformed into Naruto. As one, Sasuke and the legions of clones flew at Kimimaro, who began dispatching bunshin after bunshin with a taijutsu aptitude that shocked even Sasuke. But skilled as Kimimaro was, he was also clearly exhausted and injured. Sasuke released the transformation jutsu in a flash and brought the Chidori to life once more. The real Naruto appeared besides him, a ready-made Rasengan glowing in his right hand. Without hesitating, Sasuke brought his lightning gloved hand to Naruto’s Rasengan, pouring his lightning infused chakra into it. Faster and faster the Rasegan whirled, crackling with a potent combination of Naruto and Sasuke’s chakra. Together, they flew at Kimimaro, joined at the wrist by their combined jutsu, and masked by the hundreds of shadow clones that were assailing the enemy. 

_ More chakra, Uchiha-brat! Do you want us to do all the work?  _ The Nine-Tails’ voice roared in Sasuke’s head.  _ You only have one shot at this! _

_ Shut up!  _ Sasuke snapped.  _ I don’t have as much chakra as your freak jinchuriki!  _ Nonetheless, he drew heavily again on his chakra reserve, dipping deeper and deeper within himself and dumping even more lightning molded chakra into the combined jutsu. He could sense the inky black and red chakra of the Nine-Tails swirled about inside the Rasengan, growing more and more by the second. As the amount of chakra markedly increased, so did the size of the jutsu, quickly swelling to at least three times the size of Sasuke’s head. He could feel the power of Naruto’s chakra thrumming through his arm. Dismay wafted through him.  _ Is Naruto really this powerful now?  _ He shook off the thought. There was no time to think about such things. Sasuke had to maintain the shape of the Chidori until the point of impact, and then sharpen the chakra considerably for the maximum penetration. That took a lot of concentration, especially in his current battle-taxed state. 

The sea of shadow clones parted in an instant, revealing their still-oblivious target below. Sasuke could feel the jutsu becoming more and more unstable by the second. He focused all of his power and determination on the powerful visualization of a blade in his mind's eye, and then began to knead his chakra around the image fixed in his head. It was a technique that his mother had taught him, long ago, and that… someone else had helped him perfect. Sasuke would not allow himself to think of Itachi in this moment. Too much was riding on this single strike for him to be distracted even slightly by thoughts of that murderer. 

The impact happened in an instant, too quickly for even Sasuke’s sharingan to follow. A bone-rattling explosion vibrated violently up through Sasuke’s arm and tossed him back with impunity. His vision was filled with white from the force of the jutsu’s explosion, and he slammed into the dirt with a ferocious velocity seconds later. Dirt filled his mouth as stones and grass raked through his skin with razor sharp edges. When he finally came to halt, he realized that he could hear nothing but a high-pitched ringing in his ears. It took him a moment to extend his consciousness down through his limbs and extremities and verify that he was still in one piece. Once he was satisfied that nothing was broken beyond repair, Sasuke planted both of his palms into the ground and lifted himself off the ground and gazed at the clearing where Kimimaro had been standing a moment earlier. 

It was as if someone had exploded several large cans of red paint in the middle of the clearing. Thick drops fell from leaves pregnant with a layer of blood, and bits of flesh and clothing were plastered to the tree trunks that ringed the meadow. At the epicenter of the carnage, a great crater had been blasted into the ground, the grass all about it flattened from the force of the explosion. Sasuke walked toward the crater, wincing in pain with each step. When he arrived at the lip of the crater, he peered into it. At the center of this crater were a pair of mangled arms. Kimimaro’s mangled arms, still studded with a grotesque number of bones protruding from his skin. They were the largest pieces left of the Oto-nin. Sasuke shivered. 

_ This kind of power… I’ll never be able to compete with this kind of power if I stay in Konoha.  _ Sasuke turned away the crater, trying to block out the overwhelming scent of blood and dead flesh that now hung over the entire forest.  _ Where the hell is Naruto?  _ That question was soon answered as he saw a shape with brilliant orange pants struggling to his feet, leaning heavily against a tree for support. Despite himself, Sasuke felt an iron-hard lump jump into his throat. 

_ No! I have to do this.  _ Sasuke’s pace quickened markedly as he approached Naruto. His left hand tingled as he channeled the last bits of his chakra into the budding Chidori. He roughly kneaded it into lightning, and was about to release it when Naruto turned around, blinking open sky-blue eyes at Sasuke. 

“Sasuke!” Naruto rasped. “You helped me.” 

“Of course I did,” Sasuke grunted. “I don’t think either of us could have taken that guy alone.” 

Naruto turned around and reached up to grasp a branch of the tree to pull himself to his full height. He never had time to react to the Chidori that Sasuke slammed through his shoulder and out through the front of his chest. Naruto gasped, as if he had just been submerged in cold water. It was a sensation that Sasuke would never forget. Naruto’s blood pulsed through his fingers, and splattered onto the ground between their feet. He stood for a long moment before his knees finally wavered and gave way. 

Sasuke caught him and lowered him gently down to the ground. It felt as if he had been on the receiving end of the Chidori and not Naruto. Deep inside his chest, there was a flame of agony that had arisen and was burning stronger and stronger. His throat closed up, and he felt a sudden wetness on his cheeks as his vision blurred, Naruto’s shocked expression burned into his vision. 

“Sasuke…” Naruto’s voice was so small and broken. “Why?” 

Sasuke just shook his head. He couldn’t speak, and even if he could, there would be nothing he could say that would justify his actions. His hand went into his back pocket and withdrew his cracked Konoha headband. He pressed it into Naruto’s hand. Naruto’s eyes widened with realization, but it was too late. Those blue eyes, filled with horror and sadness slowly slid shut. Sasuke’s hands tightened to fists on the remnants of the sleeves of Naruto’s jacket. He lifted his head to the sky, and howled his pain to the sky. Everyone was gone now. Every last vestige of family and friend. Sasuke was completely and utterly alone, just as he had been after the massacre. When he could no longer scream, he fell silent. His eyes burned with agony, growing more and more painful by the second. In a flash, his vision changed. Suddenly, he could see every twitch of Naruto’s muscles, and every facet of the chakra that was slipping out of his pores. Without even seeing his eyes, Sasuke knew that he had just evolved his Sharingan again. The sensation was far more painful than when he had awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan in the Forest of Death during the Chunin exams, but that was to be expected. 

With this enhanced vision, Sasuke could see that the wound he had inflicted on the right side of Naruto’s chest was already starting to heal. Even so, Sasuke did not move from his position cradling Naruto until his former teammate’s breathing became regular again. Only then did Sasuke lay Naruto down beneath the protective branches of the tree and rise to his feet and begin to limp painfully away. His whole body throbbed with pain, and his chakra reserves were dangerously low. Even so, it was critically important that Sasuke get away from this area now, before Konoha Jonins or perhaps even ANBU arrived. 

With those thoughts in mind, Sasuke picked up his backpack from where he had discarded it on the opposite side of the bridge, and wrapped himself in his traveling cloak before delving into the unfamiliar tree line of Kusagakure. 


	5. End of Day One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note
> 
> Hi everyone! I am sorry for the long absence in updates, I was overwhelmed with school work and simply took a month off for winter break. I apologize for this short chapter, but I promise you that more is on the way, and this fic is not abandoned, no matter how long goes in between each update. That aside, I am planning to update with greater frequency from now on, and that is in large part due to your kind comments, and all the kudos I have received. I really can't overstate how important constructive criticism, feedback, and kudos are to a writer, especially myself. 
> 
> Please, do enjoy this short chapter. 
> 
> -ak

Not even four hours later, long after dusk had completed its purple and gold symphony and night had fallen in its inky totality, the furious pain in Sasuke’s arm forced him to halt his high-paced journey. The pain had crept out from his forearm and now was radiating through his shoulder and collarbone, making it nearly impossible for him to swing his arms while running, nevermind his utter chakra depletion. 

Luckily, his path had taken him parallel to a seemingly unending rock face, pocked with myriad caves and other deep crevices that would provide a welcome modicum of shelter from the elements. After selecting a cave that he deemed properly discreet and keenly defensible, Sasuke wasted no time in stringing up the typical booby traps that one usually placed around a shinobi’s hiding spot; he rigged piano wire with explosive tags and bunches of dry leaves that would rustle distinctly if disturbed, thereby providing a rudimentary early warning system for him during the night. Once these measures were securely in place, Sasuke allowed himself to return to the cave. In the shadowy depths, he spread his bedroll between the protective figures of two sturdy boulders, and set his pack at the head of the bedroll for use as a pillow, as well as allowing for quick access to his kunai and other weapons. 

From inside the bag, he withdrew provisions, which he ate cold. To light a fire in enemy shinobi territory was practically a death sentence. Even though Sasuke was firmly confident in his own skill set, his chakra was dangerously low, and he knew he would not have the sufficient power at the moment to fend off a squad of Kusagakure ANBU or jonin that would surely descend on any campfire that randomly sprung up in their area of observation. After he had fortified himself with the rations, Sasuke went about treating his injured arm. 

First, he peeled off his dark blue shirt, and activated his Sharingan to scrutinize the wound, and promptly drew in a short breath of shock at what he saw. The entirety of the skin on his forearm had been scorched off, like a grotesque glove that extended up past his elbow and far into his bicep. The skin was an angry red, and the chakra nodes had been damaged as well. Cursing, Sasuke withdrew a length of clean bandage from his belt pouch, and poured cool water over it, grimacing at the waste of drinking water. From there, he wound the bandage over the burns. The pain was great enough that he sank his teeth into his lower lip to prevent a scream of pain from escaping. 

_ This is what the chakra of the Nine-Tails can do?  _ Sasuke felt a twinge of fear, and not only for himself. Naruto had been totally enveloped in the stuff. Who knew how much it had truly hurt him. Sasuke shook off the worry with a single acid laced thought.  _ Shut up. With his ridiculous healing factor, he should be just fine.  _

Sasuke reached behind his back, and unclipped the ninja belt before easing it off and coiling it neatly besides his pack, the pouches unzipped and revealing his weaponry. Too exhausted to do anything more, he wrapped himself in his thin blanket, and promptly fell asleep. 


	6. The Village of Hashigata

The intense pain in Sasuke’s arm when he awoke confirmed an unfortunate fact— he needed to get a burn poultice from a doctor, and soon; otherwise he would be hard pressed to get anywhere quickly in this journey of his. Worse, if he didn’t properly treat the burn, infection would most likely set in, and he’d probably lose chakra use of the arm. These were consequences that Sasuke was wholly unwilling to face. Even though the prospect of entering a Kusagakure village made him unrelentingly nervous, at this point, there was no way around it. He’d have to disguise his ninja gear as best as possible, and then slip into an herbalist’s shop to get the requisite poultice. 

All these thoughts and more flowed through Sasuke’s head before he even sat up from bed. Eventually he did, doing his best to ignore the inflamed state of his left arm. His first considered movement of the day was to strip off his blue shirt with the Uchiha crest emblazoned on the back. It was too flashy, and besides, everyone knew the Uchiha Clan of Konoha. It would be like holding up a sign that said  _ I’m Not Supposed To Be Here, Come Kill Me! _ He folded it and placed it into his backpack, before withdrawing a simple black shirt with cropped sleeves, and a tall collar, in typical Uchiha fashion. Next, he selected a pair of anonymous black pants that he had nicked from the ANBU armory when he had been stealing weaponry back in Konoha. It took Sasuke around five minutes to dress himself in a properly low-profile manner, though he kept his kunai holster on his right thigh and his pouch of ninja tools secured at the back of his belt. Last of all, he drew his black traveling cloak around him, and finished assembling his pack. 

Before he could leave, however, there were important navigational steps he had to take. He unrolled the stolen ANBU map across the cool stone floor of the cave, and placed his trustworthy compass on it. It took a few moments for him to pinpoint his position on the map and a few minutes more to plot a path to the Land of Mountains. The path would take him northwest through the Land of Earth, skirting Iwagakure by roughly two days' journey, and then into the mysterious Land of Mountains, which bordered an unmapped section of sea. Unfortunately, the map detail deteriorated significantly past Iwagakure, making it impossible for Sasuke to know the terrain he would have to cross in the second part of his journey.  _ I’ll just buy new maps wherever I can _ . Last of all, he scanned the map for as nearby town he could go to for medical aid. Luckily, there was one only three miles northwest from his location, labeled Hashigata on the map. Satisfied, Sasuke rolled up the map and slipped it back into his backpack, keeping out his compass so he could start off with the right heading. 

Twenty minutes later, Sasuke came to a halt at the outskirts of the village Hashigata. He climbed a nearby tree and brushed aside a branch so he could have an unobstructed view of the terrain, architecture, and population. It took only a few sweeps of his Sharingan-enhanced vision to confirm that this was not a shinobi village. He only detected three distinctive chakra signatures that indicated the presence of shinobi, and the number of civilians was the vast majority. For all he could see, it appeared to be a relatively agricultural village, as it was ringed with myriad rice paddies and fields growing various types of crops. Even from his distance, he could see the hustle and bustle that dominated each field, as legions of workers toiled endlessly beneath the rapidly warming morning sun. After a long moment surveying the area, Sasuke’s nervousness was finally sufficiently quelled. He released the Sharingan with a flicker of chakra and eased himself down from the tree. Before setting off, he rubbed a hand through his unruly black hair, pushing down the spikes so it would fall over his eyes, hopefully disguising his Sharingan, should he have to activate it within Hashigata. 

His first steps into the mud-lined main street of the town were wholly uneventful. People passed him by without so much as a second glance as many were working, either bearing yokes burdened with buckets of water, or were carrying large baskets of food to different warehouses scattered around the outskirts of the village. However, no sooner had Sasuke entered the main cluster of buildings of Hashigata when a sharp voice stopped him dead in his tracks. 

“You lost, boy?” 

Sasuke spun around, fighting the urge to grab a kunai from his thigh. “Who’s asking?” 

“Over here.” Sasuke’s gaze slid over to a hunched shape half-hidden beneath the purple shadow of a store’s awning. The figure nodded tersely to him, a pair of silvery eyes peering out from behind a curtain of golden white hair. “I am Kenjiro. I’ve lived here since, oh before we allied with Konohagakure. You are a Leaf Shinobi, aren’t you?” 

Swallowing back a sudden surge of fear, Sasuke put on a disinterested face, which was rather easy for him. “You shouldn’t talk about things you don’t know. I’m just a man from the Land of Waves.” 

“The Uchiha clan are well-known, boy.” Kenjiro said. “My clan, Tetsutoge, were allies of the Uchiha, long ago. Come inside. There’s food and supplies.” 

“Tch.” Sasuke snorted. His instincts were screaming at him that this was a trap. But even as he extended his chakra out to probe the area, he could detect no chakra signatures of enemy ninja, or any booby traps. 

“What are you waiting for, boy? Do you want to conduct this conversation outside, where others can overhear us? Come now, my patience wears thin.” Kenjiro rose slowly from his seat near the store’s entrance, and limped heavily inside, sweeping the door open for Sasuke. 

_ Crippled old fool. _ Sasuke thought, but cautiously followed Kenjiro into the store, scanning the doorway for any trip wires or other traps. He found nothing. 

“Sit, please.” Kanjiro said, but Sasuke did not move. 

“How do I know you’re not a Kusagakure shinobi?” Sasuke growled. “How do I know this isn’t a trap?” 

One of Kenjiro’s bushy eyebrows raised. “Do they teach you nothing in Konoha anymore? I suppose they wouldn’t teach about us, though. Truth be told, we are a stain on the history of Konoha.” 

“What are you talking about? Sasuke snapped. “Stop talking so vaguely. I need answers, old man, if you want to live.” 

Kenjiro appeared wholly unperturbed by the threat, continuing on slowly in his oddly accented voice. “The clan of the Iron Thorns, Tetsutoge, was once one of Konoha’s most valuable warrior families, ranking with the Uchiha and Hyuga in their fighting prowess. But we were banished after the Second Shinobi World War, after we were accused of massacring a village in Amagakure. We were bound by an oath forged in forbidden ninjutsu to never take up arms again.” Kenjiro paused, then turned around and opened a cabinet drawer behind him. Sasuke tensed, expecting an attack, but when the old man turned back around, he only held a scrap of fabric in his gnarled hands. It was a Konoha forehead protector, the shine of the metal long dulled by time, and the fabric thin as paper. But Sasuke knew from the design of it that it was indeed a Konoha hitai-ite from the Second Shinobi World War. It had been a topic that they had covered back in the academy. 

“So you aren’t lying.” Sasuke said. 

“You’re a prickly one, aren’t you?” Kenjiro chuckled. “You Uchiha always are.” He looked at Sasuke for a long moment before speaking again. “I won’t pry, but it seems you are on a journey and a long one. Do you need a map?” 

“Yes.” Sasuke said. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a few bills. “The best one you have.” 

Kenjiro nodded, and brushed through a thin curtain that separated the back of the store from the front. It was several long minutes of rustling, scratching, and muttered curses before the old man reappeared, three rolls maps tucked under each arm. He set them down on the counter in front of Sasuke. “These are six copies of the same map; the most detailed of the region surround Kusagakure and the Land of Grass. The only difference is their size. Take your pick.” 

After a moment of consideration, Sasuke chose the second smallest map, which fit neatly into his backpack, while still having large enough characters for him to read in lowlight without a problem. 

“How much?” Sasuke asked, placing the bills on the counter. 

Kenjiro shook his head. “Take it. There’s no payment needed.” 

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What are you trying to pull, old man?”

“It’s my way of trying to right a wrong from long ago. Just take it, Uchiha.” 

Sasuke glared at the old man long and hard, trying to see past those guarded silver eyes, but found he could not. At last, he took the map, and grudgingly thanked Kenjiro, who extended a hand across the counter. After a split-second hesitation, Sasuke took it in a firm shake. There were no more words exchanged, and Sasuke left the shop without looking back. He had memorized the route to the nearest apothecary, and walked swiftly down the main street until he found a paved side road that led to a cluster of upscale shops. At the end of the alleyway, he could see the sign of the apothecary, painted in loud, garish colors. He walked toward it, hands deep in his pockets, and eyes scanning all around him. This kind of vigilance, while tiring, was absolutely necessary. There was no way that Sasuke would go back to Konoha, and yet he did not want to test his resolve by having to face off against Konoha shinobi. Besides, if Naruto showed up, it would just be problematic. 

Sasuke pushed all these thoughts from his mind as he slid open the wooden door leading into the apothecary. The combined fragrance of a thousand types of dried or otherwise preserved herbs smacked him in the face, making his eyes water. Inside the shop, a smoky aura pervaded, while tall shelves rose around a long counter that barred his way into the back of the shop. Hundreds upon hundreds of glass jars lined these shelves, each bestowed with a neat paper label pasted onto their sides. Bunches of dried plants were lashed to the ceiling as well, and the walls not occupied by medicinal shelves bore a shocking number of unique tools for blending, harvesting, and preserving the necessary ingredients that the apothecary produced. 

It only took a short series of knocks to get a response from the back of the store. “Coming!” a distinctively feminine voice called, and moments later, a lithe woman appeared, carrying an armful of jars, which she set on the counter before turning her warm brown gaze on Sasuke. “What can I do for you today, sir?” 

“I’m looking for good burn medicine.” 

“Are you injured?” 

Irritation spilled through Sasuke’s facade. “Why else would I be here?” 

“I’m afraid I can’t just give you burn medicine and send you on your way.” the woman said. “Burns are more complicated than other wounds. They require medical treatment beyond that of what a simple poultice can give you.”

“I don’t have the money or time for that.” Sasuke snapped. “Besides, what does it mean to you?”

“I’m a doctor. I took an oath to help all injured and sick people to the best of my ability and beyond. Of course your health means something to me. Don’t worry about money. Come on to the back with me. I’ll help you, I promise.” The woman smiled, and something about her smile made something twist hard in Sasuke’s chest. She could have been an Uchiha, with those lustrous black locks of hair flowing down her shoulders, and those dark eyes. No. Those eyes were too kind to be those of an Uchiha. Itachi’s eyes, hateful and cruel burned through Sasuke’s memory. It took a great deal of willpower to force those memories back below the black-and-blue surface of his consciousness, and he followed the doctor into the back of the store, where he found a rudimentary examination table, with a cart full of various medical instruments laid out besides it. 

“Sit, please, and show me your burn.” The woman sat in a stool next to the exam table and watched as Sasuke eased off his backpack, and then his cloak. Last of all, he pulled off his shirt, baring the entirety of his bandaged left arm to the doctor’s eyes. He shivered as the cool air washed across his torso. He felt horribly exposed and small. He hated feeling like this. 

“Let’s get this off of you,” the woman said, smiling reassuringly at Sasuke. She worked very carefully indeed as she unwound the bandages he had swathed the wound in earlier that day, but it still hurt terribly, and Sasuke winced in pain. “I realize I never told you my name. I’m Doctor Itoshino. My father was a shinobi, but my mother was the apothecary.” She laughed, high and clear. “He was very disappointed when I decided to pick up my mother’s family business instead of honoring and serving the daimyo as a shinobi.”

“Hn.” Sasuke was too busy trying not to cry out in pain to respond. Finally, after what had seemed like a lifetime, she had unraveled the bandages altogether. Doctor Itoshino drew in a short quick breath of surprise, then quickly composed herself. 

“Is it bad?” Sasuke asked through clenched teeth. 

“This is a chakra burn.” Dr. Itoshino said, her voice curt. “How did you get this?” 

Sasuke didn’t say anything. 

Dr. Itoshino shook her head, and Sasuke sensed a trace of anger from her. “The only thing that has chakra powerful enough to strip flesh from bone is a bijuu. How did you come into contact with one of them?” 

“I’m a shinobi from Takigakure,” Sasuke lied. “I was involved in a rescue mission to retrieve the jinchuuriki of the Seven-Tails. It didn’t go so well. I got banished from the village.” 

“But you’re so young.” Doctor Itoshino murmured. “You can’t be more than a genin. Why would they have sent you on such a dangerous mission?” 

“Don’t pity me.” Sasuke hissed. “I just need some medicine so that I don’t lose the chakra use of my arm. Can you do that for me?” 

“Yes, of course.” Dr. Itoshino 

After several agonizing baths of disinfectant and anti-infection agents, at last the ordeal was over. Dr. Itoshino expertly wound a strip of clean bandaged over the wounds, and placed several more rolls of still-packaged bandage into Sasuke’s pack. “You must change your dressings every day and reapply the antibiotic mixture until the healing sets in. Refrain from channeling chakra through that arm until a new layer of skin has formed. If you do choose to use chakra through the arm, you may cause irreversible damage to your chakra points and destroy your ability to ever flow chakra through your left arm again. Am I understood?” 

“Yes, doctor.” Sasuke replied through gritted teeth. His arm still felt as if it was on fire, though the sensation was gradually fading. 

“Good.” Dr. Itoshino finally drew back from Sasuke, and began tidying up her work space. “You may go.” 

“I have money…” Sasuke growled. He wasn’t going to let another one of these villagers treat him like a charity case. “But not much. Is this enough?” He proffered a thin roll of bills; all he had been able to scrounge from his family’s looted safety deposit box at the Naka Shrine. 

Dr. Itoshino looked at the money for a long while. “Is that all you have?” 

“Yes.” 

“Half of it will do until you return to repay me.” Dr. Itoshino took the roll of bills from his hand before he could protest and thumbed through them with practiced movements, counting aloud to show Sasuke that she was not taking more than she said she would. In a few short moments, she had taken her cut, and pressed the rest of the money back into Sasuke’s palm. 

“But—” 

Dr. Itoshino glared at Sasuke. “Do you really want to argue with someone who just saved your arm? I could just as easily lop it off. Now go, nukenin of Takigakure. I’d be honored to know your name, but I won’t press. It isn’t wise for someone on the run to give out such information so flippantly.” 

Sasuke hopped off the examination table, and pulled his shirt and cloak back on before hefting his pack up onto his back. As he was about to brush through the door, something stopped him. He turned around to look back at Dr. Itoshino one last time. “Thank you.” he said softly. “You may call me Kosuke.” 

Without another word, Sasuke pushed his way through the door, hitched up the hood of the cloak about his raven black hair to deflect the gentle rain that had begun to fall, and made his way down the road and out of the village. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pseudonym that Sasuke gives to Dr. Itoshino is derived from the name of Anayama Kosuke (穴山 小助), one of the Sanada Ten Braves, a group of legendary ninja that supposedly lived during the Warring States period in Japan. Kishimoto-sensei named Sasuke after another member of this group, Sarutobi Sasuke (猿飛 佐助). 
> 
> Furthermore, I may not be updating as frequently, as I have a major research project that I intend on getting published at the end of this semester. This will probably take up all the time that I have been using to write this fic. Never despair, however, as I plan on continuing this fic until completion. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed, please leave some kudos or comments. If you didn't enjoy, please let me know politely in the comments as well. Criticism is always welcome. 
> 
> ~ a.k.


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